Improvement in brick-kilns



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. HVW. ADAMS, Jr.

BRICK-KILN.

Patented Nov. 23,1875.

INVENTEIH- WITNESSES- N. PEI'ERS, PROTO-LITMOGRAPN ZSheetv-SheetZ! H. W.ADAMS, Jr. 7

BRICK-KILN. No. 170,148, w I I Patented Nov.23,1875.

WITNESSES- INVENTUH- maw A, MR9

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY w. ADAMS, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRICK-KILNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 70,148, datedNovember '23, 1875; application filed October 25, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY W. ADAMS, J r., ofthe city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Brick-Kilns, which improvementis fully set forth in the following specification, reference being badto the accompanying drawings. The object of my invention is to burnbricks and other materials requiring calcination in a more uniformmanner, and in less time than is done in the old kilns in common use.

The kiln is illustrated more in detail in the following figures: Figurel is a perspective view of my improved steam-kiln, showing thearrangement of furnaces provided with steampipes, the bricks to beburned set in the kiln, and the cover on them, shown in section, Fig, 2is a longitudinal sectional elevation of my said kiln, showing theinside of it, when empty, with a specialview to represent the severalrecesses made in the inside walls of the said kiln, from the bottom tonear the'top, for the purpose of letting the heat ascend up the wallswithout obstruction, and heat them quicker and hotter than usual. Fig. 3is a sectional view through my kiln, as set for burning, and showing thefurnaces, the arches, the middle cut-elf between the furnaces, thecover, and steam-pipes.

A represents my improved steam brickkiln; B, the furnaces constructed onthe outrepresent the arches of my improvedkiln, when set with greenbricks, preparatory to burning; K, the cut-off wall between thefurnaces; L, the bricks set in the kiln, and M the cover of the saidkiln. N shows the reeesses inthe inside walls, reaching from the bottomto near the top of the kiln. They are deeper at the bottom and growshallower toward the top. 0 shows the grate-bars.

The kiln A maybe built of any ordinary size. It may be formed out of anold-fashioned kiln, such as is commonly use-d by brickmakers, bybuilding the furnaces B outside of the walls of the same, and in frontof the firedoors, and in such manner that they shallbe a prolongation ofthe arches or firing-chambers of an old kiln, as commonly constructed.These furnaces I make about two feet long, more or less, and use thethickness of the wall or old fire-door as a part of this length. Thisoutside furnace is necessary to make the combustion of fuel outside ofthe kiln, in order that the forcible jets of steam escaping from thebranches Gr may have length of drive sufficient to become mingled withthe hot products ofcombustion before entering the kiln, and driveintothe kiln and under the arches the flames and hot gases to bedisseminated and distributed through the whole mass of the bricks.

If these branch steam-pipes were inserted over the doors of anold-fashioned brick-kiln, with a view to blow steam into the arches ofthe. same,the jets-of steam would blow the heat all away from the endsof the arches next to the inside Walls, and the bricks would be burnedsoft.

By building the furnaces B outside of the old fire-doors room is givento make the products of combustion white-hot before they pass into thekiln, that the bricks may be burned hard close to the wall, contiguousto the mouths of the furnaces B. They are simply the prolongation of thefurnaces of an old brick-kiln -through the doors of the said furnaces,and

to a distance of two feet, more or less, outside of the walls. They aresupplementary furnaces, and are to be used as hereinafter described.

K represents a cut-off Wall between the 0pposite furnaces. This isnecessary to arrest the two opposing blasts entering the kiln from thetwo opposite furnaces B B,and prevent them from acting against eachother. This wall is built up where the kiln and .the arches I I are setwith unburned bricks. If the kiln is thirty feet wide inside, the archesI I may be twelve feet long each, and the solid portion, set in theordinary way, may be six feet through from arch to arch, more or less.This cut-off breaks the force of the two opposite blasts, and yet theheat penetrates the interstitial spaces between the bricks composing itsufliciently to burn them hard.

The recesses N are made from the bottom to the top, or near the top, ofthe wall on the inside of the said kiln. They are four inches, more orless, deep at the bottom, and gradually become shallower as they ascend.Those over the mouths of the furnaces Bare as wide as the said furnaces.On all other parts of the inside walls these recesses are four incheswide, more or less, and eight inches apart, more or less.

Recesses extending up a few feet directly over the doors of an oldbrick-kiln have been used. I disclaim these. My improvement consists inextending these recesses up to the top of the kiln, or nearly so, and incovering the Whole inside walls of a brick-kiln with these recesses,equally spaced apart, for the purpose of allowing the heat to circulateup these open spaces in contact with the wall, for the purpose ofheating the same and burning the bricks hard which are in contacttherewith. As these heating chambers or channels shallow out near thetop of the kilnwalls they form ovens all over the inside walls of thekiln, and distribute the heat more uniformly.

Having described the different parts of my improved steam-kiln, I willnow describe the process of using its different parts, and causing themto unite in burning a kiln of bricks, or other materials requiringcalcination, in a rapid, economical, and uniformly hard and excellentmanner. l 1 The kiln being set in the usual way, I proceed to drive offthe water smoke and get a clearing heat through the kiln in the ordinarymanner of managing an old brick-kiln. I do not build any fires in thefurnaces B at first, nor use any steam until I have raised the heat inthe kiln sufficiently to do so. I throw in fuel through the furnaces Bunder the arches I I, and gradually heat up the kiln in theold-fashioned way. Light fires may be made, also, in the furnaces B; butwhen I have got a moderately good clearing heat through the whole kilnby means of the fires under the arches II I I I, which fires may be madeof wood or any suitable fuel in the manner of bu'rning an oldbrick-kiln, I then com mence a new method of burning, and bring into usethe furnaces B B and the cover M.

- I now discontinue the firing with fuel under the arches I I, and buildfires in the furnaces B B outside of the kiln; and on the grates 0 O Ialso let on steam from the boiler into the inlet-pipe E anddistributing-pipe F.

The steam passes into the branches G G G nozzles of about one-eighth andone-sixteenth of an inch in diameter in forcible jets. over steam,sweeping across the top of the fires,

cause large quantities of air to rush up through the grate-bars near thefurnace-doors and produce intense combustion. The incandescent gases arealso driven with great power under the arches I I to be disseminated inin every direction'through all the interstitial spaces between thebricks in the kiln. At this point it is necessary to bank down the topof the kiln to prevent the too rapid escape of this abundant heat, andthus create a pressure of incandescent gases in the kiln, in order tomake the'said gases insinuate themselves in'to every crevice of thekiln, fill every part, and wrap every brick with the necessarysettling'heat.

It is not new to put a cover on the top of a brick-kiln whenthe kiln isset. I do not,

therefore, claim such a cover 5 but it will be seen that a necessaryrelation exists between the outside furnaces B B when used with thesteam-blast pipes F and G G G G G. The said furnaces and blast create anew and extraordinary heat of white hot gases, and drive them forcibly,under great pressure, under the arches I I. Itis now, and not before,that a cover of some sort is needed to hold in this new heat, and thusconvert the kiln into an oven heated uniformly from top to bottom andfrom side to side, so as to burn the products of the kiln hard.

It is believed, therefore, that it is both new and useful to combine anykind of cover with the furnaces and steam-blast aforesaid, when both areemployed together in the manner and for the purposes described. 7

This cover may be made in any way now known.

It is not new to use steam in a brick-kiln. I do not claim it thereforein any broad sense. Butit is believed to be new to use thesteamblastpipes F and G G G G G in combination with the furnaces B B,when built outside of an old brick-kiln with an upward draft, and

when said furnaces are prolongations of the firing-arches I I of anordinary kiln now in common use.

Steam-jets have been used to blow hot gases against the end of a kilnburning witha horizontal draft, and having no arches, as is the casewith an old brick-kiln, and as shown in my improved kiln.

It is believed that the furnaces B B and blast-pipes F and G G G G G andthe arches I I form a new and useful combination.

Steam superheated in furnaces B B and arches I I tempers and distributesthe heat so perfectly that the lower bricks of my kiln are protectedfrom overburnin g, and'the top and side courses are all calcined ringinghard.

Having thus described my improved steamkiln and pointed out what Iconsider to be its novelties and uses, what I claim, and desire arches ii I I I, and the cut-off wall K, subto secure by Letters Patent, isstantiall in the manner and for the purposes 1. The combination of theGfungcgfg B (33 shown and described. B B the blast-pipes F and i an arehes I I I I I, and. cover M, substantially HENRY ADAMSLJR' in the mannerand for the purposes set forth; Witnesses:

2. The combination of the furnaces B B B ALEXANDER H. MORGAN,

B B, and blast-pipes F, and G G G G, and IsAAo R. OAKIFORD.

